


But with you, I think it's different

by theinconspicuousfangirl



Category: Day6 (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, F/M, Fluff without Plot, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-01
Updated: 2021-02-01
Packaged: 2021-03-12 08:08:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,549
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29132331
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theinconspicuousfangirl/pseuds/theinconspicuousfangirl
Summary: Jae thinks he's not really ready to be in a relationship while Kae's been left hanging many times.Any chance there's a good thing that might happen when they finally meet?
Relationships: Park Jaehyung | Jae/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 1
Kudos: 2





	But with you, I think it's different

**Author's Note:**

  * For [supercess](https://archiveofourown.org/users/supercess/gifts).



> A product of reading an unhealthy dose of social media AUs on Twitter.  
> Please excuse my inconsistencies, there will be lots!

“Hi! I know the term hasn’t started yet but can I reserve Music Room 3 in advance?” Jae approached the student volunteer manning the office who had her back turned to him. It sounded cheesy in his head but when the student swiveled around, his breath was caught in his chest.

“What day do you need? I can pencil you in now and then confirm it on the first day of school;.”

“Actually, all Saturdays and Mondays of the whole term.”

“Do you have a reco slip from one of the Music profs? I’m a new student volunteer here so I’m not sure if that’s allowed.”

“Uh... no. I’ve been reserving MR3 for a whole term since first year.”

“Oops! Sorry for that, I didn’t know. Can I have your name so I can lock that in for you?”

“Jae.”

“Well, there are a couple of Jaes in the system. Not sure which one is you. So let’s just go with your full name.”

“Park Jaehyung.”

“Got it. So MR3 is now reserved under your name for all Sats and Mons. Unless there’s a school thing that might need all MRs then your reservation will be temp nulled. But I’m sure you know this since you’ve been securing this room since…” His schoolmate scanned the system for previous reservations of the room. “Oh wow. You’re not lying when you said you’ve been booking this room since freshie days.”

“Yeah. For band practice.”

The female student stood up and started packing her things up. “That’s cool! Anyway, gotta close this office soon. See you around, Jaehyung- _ssi_.”

“You can call me Jae.” Jae held out his hand for a handshake and the girl accepted it. 

“I’m Kae. Ahn Kaelynne.”

“See you around, Kae.”

🎸🎸🎸

“Hello? Anyone here?” Jae asked upon entering the Music office. He heard a muffled ‘Wait a minute!’ from the adjoining room where the school kept the instruments. He went to the direction of the voice and saw Kae turning off the keyboard. Kae was about to get up when Jae told her to stay in her seat.

“You know how to play?” Jae sat on the chair at the end of the organ.

Kae started playing a random tune on the instrument. “A bit but not as good as that keyboardist my junior keeps on gushing about. I forgot his name but he’s from a band here in school.”

“What’s the name of the band?”

“5-something? Alex told me they’re a five-man group. Maybe you know them!” Jae tried to hold in his laugh. He knew who Kae was talking about but continued playing innocent.

“Maybe. Why don’t you know them though?”

“Not a big fan of extracurriculars. I’d rather sleep or focus on my course requirements.”

“But you’re… here?”

“Getting inspiration. Did you know that music influences fashion and vice versa?” Jae nodded at that fact. “How about you, Jae? Do you know how to play this or the piano?” Kae moved to the side a bit so he could sit beside her.

Jae started a melody that had Kae swaying a bit to the beat. “You know this song?” Kae shook her head. “It sounded like an anime opening though. What song is this?”

“Time of Our Life.” Jae was smiling as he continued pressing keys on the instrument and took glances at Kae who was fully enjoying the sounds.

“This will be even better if you sing it.” He looked at Kae upon hearing her suggestion. 

“You owe me something though.”

“What for?”

“Private audience with my golden voice.” Kae rolled her eyes at him. 

“Deal. As long as it’s not free food.”

_Don’t worry about anything_  
_Trust it all to me_  
_So this moment right now_  
_Can become a page_  
_That we can read back again_

_Ee ya yeah oh eh ya oh oh_  
_This is our page_  
_Ee ya yeah oh eh ya oh oh_  
_Our page_

“Ooohhh. Golden voice it is.” Kae applauded him and laughed at Jae as he kept on bowing like he was actually in a concert hall. “So what do I owe you now?”

“Your number.”

🎸🎸🎸

“Jaehyung- _oppa_! Jaehyung- _oppa_! Jaehyung- _oppa_!” A girl excitedly squealed upon sitting beside Jae.

“Woah, Alex! Is that really you? You did not greet Wonpil first.” Dowoon commented.

“Hi, Piri-Piri. Anyway, Jaehyung- _oppa_!”

“If you say that one more time, Alex…”

“Sorry, Sungjin- _oppa_. But here’s the scoop: You,” Alex, in an accusing tone, pointed at Jae. “Jaehyung- _oppa_ , have been spotted with a girl. With the same girl. Inside and outside school.”

“Oh, that.” Everyone waited for him to say something else but kept on looking at his phone.

“Anything else you’d like to add aside from ‘oh, that’, Mr. Park Jaehyung?” Brian clasped his hands like he was a talk-show host.

They still waited for him to elaborate on his statement but he gave them a shrug. “I’m AirDropping stuff to you guys like right now.” He heard Alex said and Jae was startled when his friends started hooting. 

“Oi, oi, oi. Alex, what’s that? You didn’t send anything to me.”

“Oh that? It’s nothing you should see.”

“Alex, what—” Four phones were thrusted in front of his face with every screen depicting a different captured moment. One was of him in mid-laugh with Kae in a diner. The next one was them sitting on the floor which he recognized as the Reference section. Next was them queueing in a milk tea house. The last one had him fondly smiling. It was a photo of them in one of the school’s design labs. Kae was busy drawing on her sketchpad and Jae was looking at her… with that look on his face.

“Where did you get all of these? These pictures are good.” The boys and Alex waited for his response to the images but boo-ed him upon hearing his comment.

“Fine! You don’t want to share deets? I’ll just ask Kae herself.” Alex was about to leave when Wonpil grabbed her forearm. 

“Wait, what’s her name again?”

“Ahn Kaelynne. Kae, for short. And we’re in the same program. Anyways, bye!” Alex waved cheerily to everyone but glared at Jae. “You better watch it, Park Jaehyung- _oppa_. She’s the nicest person I’ve ever known and I don’t want her to get hurt.”

🎸🎸🎸

“Kae.”

“Kae. Wake up.” Jae kept shaking Kae’s shoulder until she lifted her head. 

“What do you want? You better have a good reason for waking me up.” Jae chuckled at Kae’s grumpy expression.

“I got us a decent spot at Cafe Entrep.”

“Ohhh. Is this one of your band’s perks?” Kae asked as she lightly slapped her cheeks to wake herself.

“W-when– who– where—”

“Are you going to use all the question words?”

“I thought you don’t know much about… us. So how?”

“Tell you on the way to Cafe.”

It was a bit of a walk to their destination so Kae told him how she finally knew Jae is from Day6, their school's popular band. Turned out, Alex visited her in her unit just to hang out then Alex recognized the song Kae was blasting on her phone.

“Alex has an expressive face. She had this curious look when she asked me where I got your music but I could tell from her eyes that she actually knows. So I told her I think ‘you know but you’re just pretending you don’t know’.”

“What did she say?”

“She tried to steer clear of the topic but I’ve started to connect the dots so I kept on asking her if you’re part of that band.”

“What do you mean by ‘connect the dots’?”

“Music Room 3. The song you sent to me. People gossipping.”

“Gossip?!”

“Schoolmates who are in the same program with me suddenly became interested in my free period activities. Their faces, it’s funny. When I tell them I’m going to sleep in the library or comp-labs, they look deflated but when I tell them I’m going to buy food or drinks with you, they just light up. It’s weird but the fun kind.” 

As they were entering the Business building, a group of girls shyly greeted Jae and he returned the greeting. “And that! Those hi-hellos from random people. Even outside school! The diner and the tea shop. That got me wondering. I know you said you’re from the debate club but something’s fishy.”

“You must be wondering why I never brought it up to you. The band, I mean.”

“No, I’m cool with that. You have reasons and I respect that. At least, you’re not the bragging type.”

They finally reached the roofdeck where Cafe Entrep was and sat on an alfresco table. They were checking the menu when Jae heard his name shouted from the entrance of the cafe. He pretended not to hear, wishing that they'd just go away but with his rotten luck, his friends sat down with them.

“You must be Kae, the girl we’ve heard so much about! Hi, Kae! I’m Wonpil. Alex’s friend.” Wonpil extended his hand to Kae and she accepted it.

“Hello, Kae. I’m Dowoon the drum. Jaehyungie-hyung told us you don’t know our band.” Jae’s eyes went wide as saucers. Kae was about to take Dowoon’s hand for a handshake but he avoided Sungjin’s attempt to hit him so Brian took over.

“Brian. Jae and I have been frenemies since diaper days so if you want dirt on him, I’m your go-to guy.”

“Let’s schedule that good talk soon!”

Brian clutched Kae’s hand with both of his. “Deal.”

“Sungjin here. Nice to finally meet you.” He shook hands with Kae as well. “Is this your first time here?”

“Yeah, it is! It’s hard to get a reservation. The faculty is partially at fault, with them locking in most days. But, thanks to this guy” Kae pointed to Jae. “I’d be able to try it. Actually, it’s thanks to your special perks in our school.”

“We tried to decline the offer since we just want to play here for fun whenever we can but they were adamant so we just accepted. Have you decided what to get? If not, I highly-recommend the Smoked Salmon and Cream pasta.” Sungjin pointed out the item on his menu to Kae.

“Thanks! I guess I’ll try that.”

Kae still looked contemplative so Jae slid his menu to her and showed her his suggestion. “Why don’t you get the set? It has salad, bread, pasta, and dessert in it. You have a three-hour class and you don’t like to sneak out to get food when class has started. Heavier meal would be better.”

Kae was busy choosing from the different array of set meals so Jae turned to his friends and they were all smirking at him. He rolled his eyes and mouthed at them to keep their mouths shut. The boys mimed a mouth getting zipped and returned to perusing the menu.

“Sorry, Sungjin. I’m taking Jae’s advice but will definitely try your reco if I visit this cafe again.”

“No, no, it’s fine. I’m sure Jae is planning to bring you here again.”

“You guys are lucky to go up here whenever you want. I could sit here all day.” Jae saw Brian’s eyes go from Kae to him and gave him a Cheshire grin with raised eyebrows.

Dowoon clapped his hands as if he had an idea. “Jae can get you a special pass here! We’re friends with the committee managing this cafe so it should be cool.”

“Oh no, no, no, no. Don’t bother. People are waiting for their turn to dine here. I’d rather not take advantage just because I know you.”

“Alex is right. I think you’re the nicest person I’ve ever met.”

“I’m not nice when I’m woken up from sleep though.” Upon hearing that, Brian raised his hand for a high-five and Kae received it with a laugh.

“Enough chit-chat, guys. We came here to eat.” Jae reprimanded the group and then turned to Kae. “You have class in an hour.”

“Fine.” Kae pouted.

🎸🎸🎸

Jae slowed down to a walk when he spotted Kae by the foyer’s bench with Dowoon. They didn’t see him yet as they were focused on whatever Dowoon was showing to Kae on his phone. “Sorry, took me so long to get here.” They both looked up and beamed at him.

“It’s fine. Besides, Dowoon kept me company while waiting. He was showing a practice vid of you.”

“Of me?”

Dowoon turned his phone to Jae’s direction. “We told you to invite her to our band practice, _hyung_! But Kae said you never mentioned anything about it.”

“Dowoon!”

“Well, Jae knows I don’t go to school on Mondays and Saturdays unless required so that’s why. I man the Music office on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Jae has my class sched so...”

“No! You have to visit us at least once during this term. You won’t regret it. And besides, hyung tells us you’re just sleeping or drawing on your free days. You could do that in our band practice too!”

“Yah! Yoon Dowoon! Shut up right now!”

“You know what, we could talk more about the things Jae says about me on the way to the mall.”

“Wait– Mall? Hyung, we have dinner with the Kangs, right? That’s why I’m hitching a ride with you. To remind you.”

Kae looked from Dowoon to Jae. “Oh, sorry! If I have known you have other commitments, I wouldn’t invite you. But you two should go. I’ll be fine.” Kae started walking away but Jae ran after her.

“The dinner starts at 7 and Brian just wants us there early to help around the kitchen but we could ditch that.”

“Are you sure Brian won’t mind?” The look of hesitation was still present on Kae’s face.

“He won’t. We ditched him for worse things. This is nothing.” Jae looked at Dowoon for confirmation and he nodded. 

Jae was dumbfounded when Dowoon placed an arm around Kae’s shoulders and led the girl to the parking lot while singing a song about going to the mall. Kae started singing along when Dowoon looked behind him and slowly retracted his arm that was on Kae’s shoulders. His face seemed apologetic already but still mouthed sorry to which Jae shook his head and silently laughed at.

When the trio reached Jae’s parked car, Jae directed Kae to sit at the back so she could take a nap to which the latter happily agreed. Dowoon said he wanted to sleep too while in-transit but Jae firmly said he cannot sleep. Dowoon pouted but still went to the shotgun seat.

Upon exiting the school, Jae checked through his rearview mirror if Kae was already in dreamland. “ _Hyung_ , stop smiling. You are creeping me out.” Jae tried to rap Dowoon’s head with his knuckles but his hand was already grabbed, preventing him from reaching his target.

“If I knew I would be third-wheeling today, I would have asked Jacqui to come with me.”

Jae incredulously glanced at Dowoon. “Who’s Jacqui?”

“I already told this story a cou– Oh. You’ve been MIA most of the time that’s why you don’t know.”

“I’m not—” Jae’s objection faltered when he peered at Dowoon and saw big disbelief on his face. “Fine, I’ve been MIA a lot. So who’s Jacqui?”

“I mean, I understand why you’re missing out a lot. She seems different from the other… you know.”

Completely forgetting his earlier query, Jae questioned Dowoon to elaborate on that. Dowoon turned to the back seat first to ensure Kae’s not listening in. “Don’t worry. Easy to fall asleep, hard to wake up.”

From his peripheral vision, Jae saw Dowoon cross his arms and tilted his head to the side. “She’s so easy to get along with. Back at the foyer, she was very engaging when I struck up a conversation. She did not make it awkward. When I showed her the practice videos, not just yours but mine too! She was honest enough to say that she has zero knowledge on our instruments except for the keyboard. Do you know she can play the piano– keyboard– whatever, same thing?” Jae nodded.

“Anyway, when I was showing the videos, she really looked interested. She even threw a comment on my lip-syncing.”

“Did she ask you to sing?”

“Yeah but I said I’m not a good singer and she raised her eyebrows at me. So I kind of made a bet with her.”

“Oh no. I have a bad feeling about this.”

“No, no, no, no. Actually, it’s not a bet. More of a deal? So I told her I would sing, like sing with sounds, you know what I mean?”

“No, I don’t know what you mean.” Jae teased.

“ _Hyung_!” Dowoon pouted like a kid. “Anyway, so I would indeed sing if she comes to the band practice. Take note: IF.”

“Huh, I guess we’ll see her in our sessions soon.”

“Aish, _hyung_. Using me as an excuse to see her.” Dowoon patted Jae’s shoulder. “What would you even do without me?” And let out a big sigh.

🎸🎸🎸

Applause was heard one Monday morning when Jae entered MR3 with Kae in tow. The four guys that were already inside the practice room stood up and yelled ‘We are... Day6!’

“Guys, please. Behave for once in your life.” Jae reprimanded the team.

Kae lightly elbowed Jae’s gut and turned to the boys. “It’s totally fine. Don’t mind the kill-joy.”

“Alex said you gotta record the practice but it’s fine. Watch us through your eyes and not from the lens!” Wonpil said while playing a random tune on his keyboard.

“But is it okay if I take a picture of you guys? Just a souvenir of today.” Everybody stood up and approached Kae.

“Yes, let’s!” Dowoon enthusiastically exclaimed. “A souvenir of Jaehyungie- _hyung_ and the day he finally convinced you to get out of your cave.”

“Yah, Dowoon!” Jae tried to reach Dowoon but the latter managed to dodge.

“Just step back a little bit so I could fit you all.”

“You should be in the picture too, Kae.” Sungjin suggested but Kae countered saying it’s fine she’s not included in the picture. Jae advanced towards her and took her phone. He seized Kae’s wrists and pulled her into the group then changed the camera’s view to front cam. The boys crowded Kae so they could fit in one frame then Jae took the photo. The crowd dispersed, leaving him and Kae alone. Jae handed the phone back to Kae and before he sat beside Sungjin, expressed his hopes that she’ll enjoy the practice to which Kae nodded then sat nearby him.

Jae saw everyone is in position and when his and Brian’s eyes met, they both nodded at each other. Brian told Kae a little history about the song they’re going to play. “So Jae told me that you have a deal with Dowoon. He’d sing if you visit our band practice. In turn, I clued him in that I already have a song with a part for Dowoon. I thought we have to do more convincing but thanks to you, there’s no need for that anymore.”

Jae’s attention was on Kae the whole time Brian was speaking and he saw Kae giving Dowoon a thumbs up. He remembered sending a message to Brian about the agreement that same day Dowoon told him about it. Brian said it’s a perfect opportunity so he has to do his part and make sure Kae comes over to the session to which Jae agreed. 

But Brian would not be Brian without the teasing. He pointed it out that Jae has been sighted with Kae lots of times inside and outside of school so why wasn’t he inviting the girl to the practices. Jae couldn’t think of a response to that so he just left Brian on read to which the latter got annoyed at.

Jae started the song with an instrumental sound then sang his lines. The song was about nostalgia but everyone was singing like they were actually happy. Jae thought it’s because Dowoon finally agreed to sing even just a little part. He wondered when he would be able to find the courage to share his music to the group. Yes, he had given prompts to Brian but never a full song. He just let Brian work his magic on his concepts.

He shook his head to get rid of his thoughts and turned to Dowoon while still playing the guitar. Coincidentally, the rest of the boys also looked at their drummer, anticipating his part. Dowoon’s deep voice plus Jae’s guitar as backup filled the room.

_I would go back_  
_Back to that time again_  
_To the joys of childhood..._

Jae looked back where Kae sat as Sungjin’s vocals took over and saw her sending a two thumbs up gesture to Dowoon. Jae caught her eye and she also gave her an encouraging smile. In turn, he nodded at her and returned his attention to his instrument all the while contemplating if Kae would also become his boost in dishing out the songs he had penned for himself and for the band.

🎸🎸🎸

“Jaehyung- _oppa_! Thanks for sending Kae home.” Jae turned to Alex and just sent a thumbs up to her then she leaned in a bit and whispered. “Good thing Dowoonie and Sungjin- _oppa_ brought their cars, right? You’d have extra quality time with Kae.” Alex tried to playfully elbow his gut but he held her arm.

“You don’t have to pretend, Alex. I heard Wonpil talking to Dowoon about the car thing.” Jae crossed his arms like he’s scolding her that got Alex laughing. “I wonder what else you are cooking up with that brat.”

Alex also crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow at him. “We’re just trying to help!”

“You mean meddling.” He returned the raised eyebrow gesture. “And you’re too invested in this. That’s not the Alex that I know.”

“Well, I’m totally rooting for Kae. Aside from the fact that she’s my friend, she’s far, far, far nicer than your…” Alex feigned coughing. “You know. Past flames.”

“Dowoon told me that too! Even Bob commented a few days ago. Kae saw him in the library and they got to talking about food recommendations that he almost forgot to buy food for Danie.”

“Oh, I think I know this story. Danie texted Kae that day if she had seen Sungjin.” Alex released a big sigh. “My girl’s totally part of the group now.” Alex was deeply touched by this information that she couldn’t resist placing her hand atop of her chest.

Jae tenderly smiled at Alex. “Yeah, she definitely is.”

“Sorry, we took so long!” He and Alex turned around to face the owner of the voice as Kae apologetically waved at them.

“We really have to go now. I’d rather not have Sungjin driving in the wee hours of the night.” Danie faced Kae and opened her arms for a hug to which Kae immediately accepted. “Hope you had fun awhile ago, Kae, and see you at school!” Danie released Kae from the embrace then hugged Alex as well and finally bid her farewells to the girls.

Before leaving the parking lot, Sungjin and Danie waved goodbye to the group and drove off. Wonpil called Alex so they could also go home. Alex also hugged Kae and wished her and Jae a good night before running to Dowoon’s car. Just like Sungjin and Danie, the rest of the boys and Alex also waved goodbye before speeding away.

Jae silently led Kae to his car and left his parking space after their seatbelts were locked. “Ready to sleep?” He said.

From his peripheral, he saw Kae looking at him. “Surprisingly, I’m not. I’m still jazzed from your band’s number a while ago!”

“Detour?” He glanced at Kae.

“Hm?”

“Do you want to go somewhere else before we head back to your place?”

“Sure! I discovered a nice coffee shop just a little outside our city but it’s not a long drive.”

“For someone who likes to sleep a lot, you sure do know a lot of places.”

“All thanks to Google. But actually, there’s this food blogger which I follow that published a list of his recommended coffee shops and on that list is a cafe near the school.”

“What’s the name? Maybe Bob has mentioned this.” Kae mentioned the name and he remembered Sungjin telling him about a cafe that serves great coffee partnered with a cozy ambience. “Oh yeah, he told us about this. We’ve been meaning to visit that place together but we keep forgetting since we have a cafe in school.”

“So you’re good with that?” Jae nodded and drove the car to the direction of their uni. Being a Saturday night, it was expected that there would be a good number of customers but they were lucky to get a parking slot and a decent table on the roof deck.

While enjoying a nice cup of coffee paired with the view of the city skyline and chilly midnight breeze, they mostly talked about Jae’s band, Day6. How the boys met in a music school for kids, got to know each other and found out they study in the same kindergarten. They only played as a recreation activity and it wasn’t until junior high school when things got pretty serious like giving a name for the band because they signed up for battle of the bands. He also talked about his friends’ special individual skills that are highly beneficial to the team including Brian’s capability to write superb songs.

“How about you? Have you tried composing too?” Kae asked.

He looked down at his cup before answering. “Yeah.”

“And?” His eyes returned to observing Kae’s face which seemed to be much more curious than before.

“They’re just… I don’t know, meh for me.” And they fell into somewhat a comfortable and a teeny bit awkward silence. “We should head home. It’s almost 3 in the morning.”

Kae checked her watch. “Oh! We’ve been here for 3 hours already? Time really flies so fast.” Kae started to put their used mugs and cake saucers on a tray. “Wait for me downstairs, it’s fine.” Jae tried to take the items from Kae but told him to wait for her downstairs. He relented but waited for Kae by the stairs as she placed their shared tray on top of a bussing station.

With lesser cars on the road and zero traffic, they’ve reached Kae’s apartment in no time. She wished him safe travels and instructed him to send a message to her once he’s home to which he roger-ed with a mock salute. He waited for Kae to get inside the building and was about to drive off when he received a message from her.

_I’m not really a fan of caffeine but when I saw the coffee blog post, you’re the first person that I thought of and told myself we should try these places. I hope you enjoyed the coffeehouse detour! Good night and good morning, Jae._

And he went home grinning from ear to ear with his heart so full it might burst anytime soon.

**Author's Note:**

> Endless thank yous to mahh Beef @[supercess](/users/supercess/) for pulling this idea out of my brain, for the late night writing sesh, for the q&a, for the support, for everything!
> 
> [Title](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oBpaB2YzX8s)  
> To the readers: Thank you for reading!!! This is my first multi-chaptered fic. I am scared and excited at the same time!!!  
> See you "next month!"


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